December 9, 2020
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
With Director Mark Lipman
CLICK HERE to register for the Zoom Event

We invite you to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of this dawn-to-dusk portrait of the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in Gridley.  When he first visited Gray Lodge in 2011, Director Mark Lipman was not a birder but was deeply touched by the beauty of the place and the symphony of bird sounds.  On the night of our program, Mark will briefly introduce his film and be available for the Q&A session afterwards.

Mark created this beautiful film and sound recording over a period of three winters.  His program is vastly different from our previous webinars and does not offer a classroom-type-learning presentation.  Rather it offers an aesthetic, meditative experience that we hope you will enjoy as you head into the busy holiday season.

This forty-five minute film is intentionally slow paced with no talking, although we may have a birding expert quietly identify the varied birds as they appear on the screen CLICK HERE access a Bird List in advance of the program. Then you can bird your way through the film! We recommend that you view this film on your largest available screen as Mark has created a three-channel video with surround sound, and viewing would be optimum on a large screen.

Mark has worked as a documentary filmmaker for over thirty-five years, exploring a wide range of subjects from domestic violence to human sexuality to affordable housing and community organizing.  His films have been broadcast nationally on public television and won numerous awards.  Refuge is his first foray into video installations and the natural world.

Speaker: JD Bergeron
Host: Doug Waterman
Date: December 10, 2020
Start time: 7:30 PM
End Time: 9:30 PM
CLICK HERE to register for the Zoom Speaker Series Event. A Q&A will follow the presentation. To ask a question use the Chat feature on Zoom.

Description:
In 1971 after 800,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the bay, concerned individuals led by a registered nurse named Alice Berkner jumped into action, bringing International Bird Rescue to life. We have always had to pave a road where there is none. Staff and volunteers work with tenacity alongside clients, partners, and the public to find solutions. Today, we research best practices at our crisis response hospitals in California and Alaska and share them worldwide. Our mission is to inspire people to act toward balance with the natural world by rescuing waterbirds in crisis. We dream of a world in which every person, every day, takes action to protect the natural home of wildlife and ourselves.

We rescue thousands of Bay Area birds every year and provide high quality care for them in our Northern California wildlife center in Fairfield. 

JD Bergeron is fascinated by birds. After 20 years of non-profit leadership, JD found a way to bring his passion together with his work experience to become the Executive Director of International Bird Rescue, a nonprofit founded during a major oil spill to help affected wildlife. An unconventional problem solver, JD has redirected Bird Rescue’s impressive track record of working over 230 oil spills to take on the many challenges wild waterbirds face today. JD leads by example, modeling qualities of integrity, mindfulness, and wonder for his dedicated team. 

JD thrives on finding innovative ways to inspire others to take action. Moved by his time in the Peace Corps, the nonprofit startup Kiva, and his international travels, he founded Chooda, a volunteer-run incubator with the mission to help inspire change through outdoor adventures that engage individuals with world challenges. 

A lifelong lover of nature, JD retreats to the outdoors to gain perspective and to soothe the soul. He counts his month among a million albatrosses on Midway Atoll as the experience of a lifetime. After the magic of Midway, JD returned to Bird Rescue with a renewed passion and commitment to protect the natural home of wildlife and ourselves. He lives with his husband and rescue dog Cosmo in Martinez, CA. His interests include spirituality, drawing, writing, cycling, and volunteering as a Burning Man Ranger.